Have you ever heard the phrase "I don't do mail order shopping?"

I know that I certainly have before.  Often times, a lot of friends of mine will forego purchasing anything that they can't try on first.

And with good reason, things that look good on other people might not necessarily fit you right.  And we all know the elusiveness of sizing.  One woman's ten might be another woman's twelve and vice versa.

So how do you get a great deal on buying something sight unseen from Ebay?

Well there are a couple of rules I like to follow to purchase items for my line of custom jeanswear.

Since most of the things that I create are "revamped" (meaning slightly used and remodified) I follow a couple of rules of thumb for my buying sprees.

Rule #1 - I WILL NEVER purchase anything that doesn't have a picture.  In my opinion, if someone doesn't take the time to post a picture with their  listing, they really aren't serious about selling an item.  If I want to read something without pictures, then I will go read a book.  A picture tells a story, don't it?

Rule #2 - Watch those measurements.... Often times jeans are listed with a waist and inseam measurement but are not listed with a RISE. (For those of you who don't know - a RISE is the measurement from the crotch seam up to the waist) 

Rule #3 - Watch that rise... Now that we all know what a rise is, what does it mean to you?  Well, I'll tell ya.  A 10 inch rise on a size 3 or 5 is HUGE.  It means that the waist will be way up past your belly button.  But what about a 9 or ten inch rise on a pair of size 10's or 12's.  It's not so huge anymore.  A 9 to 10 inch rise on me (a size 10 to 12) hits just below my belly button (which I must say, is about  as low as it should go on a person that wears that large of a size - Remember girls, back fat is not attractive!!)

Rule #4 - Shop for brands you know fit you well but don't be afraid to try a new brand if you like the cut and style.  After all, this is Ebay, so you can always just RESELL them if they don't fit and the seller doesn't have a return policy.

Rule #5 - Take your time...  I admit it, I am guilty.  Often times I have purchased jeans without fully reading the description.  I have been so EXCITED that I got a pair of name brand jeans for such a good price, that I failed to realize that the cut was out of style or that the jeans were not what I had envisioned them to be.

In essence, buying jeans sight unseen on Ebay may be a great experience for those of you who follow the five rules!

To see examples of how I put my jeans purchasing rules to work, please visit my store at:

www.stores.ebay.com/Kai-Design-LTD